Cost of family holidays 'could fall by £100' for family of four if David Cameron builds new runway at Gatwick rather than Heathrow

A family of four could save £100 each off the cost of a holiday if David Cameron rejects plans for a new runway at Heathrow and builds it at Gatwick instead, it is claimed today.

Sir Roy McNulty, the chairman of Gatwick, told the Prime Minister in a letter published today that Gatwick would only charge airlines £15 per passenger to use its facilities if it is given permission to build a second runway.

A Gatwick source said this compared with Heathrow’s planned charge of £25 per head, a figure which was likely to rise to between £35 and £40 if it is allowed to build a third runway, although this was denied by Heathrow.

In the letter Sir Roy told Mr Cameron: “Gatwick has put forward detailed commercial proposals that guarantee passenger charges would be subject to an inflation-linked £15 firm price limit from the opening of the new runway in 2025 through to 2050.”

Airport charges include aircraft landing and other charges related to the use of airport infrastructure such as runways and passenger terminals.

The letter also committed Gatwick to winning planning permission before the next election, with the second runway being constructed by 2025, the expected date of the general election after 2020.

The airport is offering £1,000 each towards the council tax of 15,000 homeowners likely to be affected by noise, and a further 25 per cent on top of the sale price when they move home in a bid to win over local opposition.

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Sir Roy said: “Subject to a Government decision by this October and the normal planning timetable, Gatwick gives an undertaking that its second runway will be operational by 2025 with planning consent granted within this Parliament.

“This means ground could be broken at Gatwick before the next election and the runway officially opened before the election after that.”

Stuart Wingate, Gatwick’s chief executive, added that Mr Cameron had a chance to cement his legacy by agreeing the new runway at Gatwick, because it was likely to be less open to legal challenge or planning objections than Heathrow.

He said: “This would be a great legacy for the Prime Minister. He would be able to break ground on a new runway before the next general election, and whoever is Prime Minister after him would be able to open the new runway before the following election in 2025.”

A spokesman for Heathrow admitted its passenger charge would be more than Gatwick but strongly disputed claims that it would be up to £40 per head.

David Cameron will make a final decision on where to cite the runway by the end of this summerCredit:
AP Photo

She said: “We expect the passenger charge to be no more than £24 per passenger by 2030 and in return they will get one of the best value for money infrastructure projects in the UK, an airport Britain can continue to be proud of and over 40 new long-haul routes to new destinations.

“The Airports Commission confirmed that a third runway would deliver ‘more substantial economic and social benefits than any other shortlisted option’ and that it can do so ‘most easily and quickly’ than any other option, with ‘all passengers benefiting from enhanced competition’ - we will deliver on that.”